arXiv subjects

M. Di Liberto

Publications and source records attributed to M. Di Liberto.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2018

Density-dependent hopping for ultracold atoms immersed in a Bose-Einstein-condensate vortex lattice

Both mixtures of atomic Bose-Einstein condensates and systems with atoms trapped in optical lattices have been intensely explored theoretically, mainly due to the exceptional developments on the experimental side. We investigate the properties of ultracold atomic impurities (bosons) immersed in a vortex lattice of a second Bose-condensed species. In contrast to the static optical-lattice configuration, the vortex lattice presents intrinsic dynamics given by its Tkachenko modes. These excitations induce additional correlations between the impurities, which consist in a long-range attractive potential and in a density-dependent hopping, described here in the framework of an extended Bose-Hubbard model. We compute the quantum phase diagram of the impurity species through a Gutzwiller ansatz and through the mean-field approach, and separately identify the effects of the two additional terms, i.e., the shift and the deformation of the Mott insulator lobes. The long-range attraction, in particular, induces the existence of a triple point in the phase diagram, in agreement with previous quantum Monte Carlo calculations [Chaviguri \emph{et al.}, Phys. Rev. A \textbf{95}, 053639 (2017)].

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2017

Particle-hole character of the Higgs and Goldstone modes in strongly-interacting lattice bosons

We study the low-energy excitations of the Bose-Hubbard model in the strongly-interacting superfluid phase using a Gutzwiller approach and extract the single-particle and single-hole excitation amplitudes for each mode. We report emergent mode-dependent particle-hole symmetry on specific arc-shaped lines in the phase diagram connecting the well-known Lorentz-invariant limits of the Bose-Hubbard model. By tracking the in-phase particle-hole symmetric oscillations of the order parameter, we provide an answer to the long-standing question about the fate of the pure amplitude Higgs mode away from the integer-density critical point. Furthermore, we point out that out-of-phase oscillations are responsible for a full suppression of the condensate density oscillations of the gapless Goldstone mode. Possible detection protocols are also discussed.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2017

Two-body physics in the Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model

We consider two interacting bosons in a dimerized Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) lattice. We identify a rich variety of two-body states. In particular, for open boundary conditions and moderate interactions, edge bound states (EBS) are present even for the dimerization that does not sustain single-particle edge states. Moreover, for large values of the interactions, we find a breaking of the standard bulk-boundary correspondence. Based on the mapping of two interacting particles in one dimension onto a single particle in two dimensions, we propose an experimentally realistic coupled optical fibers setup as quantum simulator of the two-body SSH model. This setup is able to highlight the localization properties of the states as well as the presence of a resonant scattering mechanism provided by a bound state that crosses the scattering continuum, revealing the closed-channel population in real time and real space.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2017

Two-body bound and edge states in the extended SSH Bose-Hubbard model

We study the bosonic two-body problem in a Su-Schrieffer-Heeger dimerized chain with on-site and nearest-neighbor interactions. We find two classes of bound states. The first, similar to the one induced by on-site interactions, has its center of mass on the strong link, whereas the second, existing only thanks to nearest-neighbors interactions, is centered on the weak link. We identify energy crossings between these states and analyse them using exact diagonalization and perturbation theory. In the presence of open boundary conditions, novel strongly-localized edge-bound states appear in the spectrum as a consequence of the interplay between lattice geometry, on-site and nearest-neighbor interactions. Contrary to the case of purely on-site interactions, such EBS persist even in the strongly interacting regime.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2016

Topological Varma superfluid in optical lattices

Topological states of matter are peculiar quantum phases showing different edge and bulk transport properties connected by the bulk-boundary correspondence. While non-interacting fermionic topological insulators are well established by now and have been classified according to a ten-fold scheme, the possible realisation of topological states for bosons has not been much explored yet. Furthermore, the role of interactions is far from being understood. Here, we show that a topological state of matter exclusively driven by interactions may occur in the p-band of a Lieb optical lattice filled with ultracold bosons. The single-particle spectrum of the system displays a remarkable parabolic band-touching point, with both bands exhibiting non-negative curvature. Although the system is neither topological at the single-particle level, nor for the interacting ground state, on-site interactions induce an anomalous Hall effect for the excitations, carrying a non-zero Chern number. Our work introduces an experimentally realistic strategy for the formation of interaction-driven topological states of bosons.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2014

Controlling coherence via tuning of the population imbalance in a bipartite optical lattice

The control of transport properties is a key tool at the basis of many technologically relevant effects in condensed matter. The clean and precisely controlled environment of ultracold atoms in optical lattices allows one to prepare simplified but instructive models, which can help to better understand the underlying physical mechanisms. Here we show that by tuning a structural deformation of the unit cell in a bipartite optical lattice, one can induce a phase transition from a superfluid into various Mott insulating phases forming a shell structure in the superimposed harmonic trap. The Mott shells are identified via characteristic features in the visibility of Bragg maxima in momentum spectra. The experimental findings are explained by Gutzwiller mean-field and quantum Monte Carlo calculations. Our system bears similarities with the loss of coherence in cuprate superconductors, known to be associated with the doping induced buckling of the oxygen octahedra surrounding the copper sites.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2014

Ultracold fermions in a one-dimensional bipartite optical lattice: metal-insulator transitions driven by shaking

We describe the behavior of a system of fermionic atoms loaded in a bipartite one-dimensional optical lattice that is under the action of an external time-periodic driving force. By using Floquet theory, an effective model with renormalized hopping coefficients is derived. The insulating behavior characterizing the system at half-filling in the absence of driving is dynamically suppressed and for particular values of the driving parameter the system becomes either a standard metal or an unconventional metal with four Fermi points. We use the bosonization technique to investigate the effect of on-site Hubbard interactions on the four Fermi-point metal-insulator phase transition. Attractive interactions are expected to enlarge the regime of parameters where the unconventional metallic phase arises, whereas repulsive interactions reduce it. This metallic phase is known to be a Luther-Emery liquid (spin gapped metal) for both, repulsive and attractive interactions, contrarily to the usual Hubbard model which exhibits a Mott insulator phase for repulsive interactions. Ultracold fermions in driven one-dimensional bipartite optical lattices provide an interesting platform for the realization of this long studied four Fermi-point unconventional metal.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2014

Quantum simulation of correlated-hopping models with fermions in optical lattices

By using a modulated magnetic field in a Feshbach resonance for ultracold fermionic atoms in optical lattices, we show that it is possible to engineer a class of models usually referred to as correlated-hopping models. These models differ from the Hubbard model in exhibiting additional density-dependent interaction terms that affect the hopping processes. In addition to the spin-SU(2) symmetry, they also possess a charge-SU(2) symmetry, which opens the possibility of investigating the $η$-pairing mechanism for superconductivity introduced by Yang for the Hubbard model. We discuss the known solution of the model in 1D (where $η$ states have been found in the degenerate manifold of the ground state) and show that, away from the integrable point, quantum Monte Carlo simulations at half filling predict the emergence of a phase with coexisting incommensurate spin and charge order.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2011

Finite-momentum Bose-Einstein condensates in shaken 2D square optical lattices

We consider ultracold bosons in a 2D square optical lattice described by the Bose-Hubbard model. In addition, an external time-dependent sinusoidal force is applied to the system, which shakes the lattice along one of the diagonals. The effect of the shaking is to renormalize the nearest-neighbor hopping coefficients, which can be arbitrarily reduced, can vanish, or can even change sign, depending on the shaking parameter. It is therefore necessary to account for higher-order hopping terms, which are renormalized differently by the shaking, and introduce anisotropy into the problem. We show that the competition between these different hopping terms leads to finite-momentum condensates, with a momentum that may be tuned via the strength of the shaking. We calculate the boundaries between the Mott-insulator and the different superfluid phases, and present the time-of-flight images expected to be observed experimentally. Our results open up new possibilities for the realization of bosonic analogs of the FFLO phase describing inhomogeneous superconductivity.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗